In this Oct. 13, 2013 file photo, Stephen Colbert delivers the keynote address during the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a charity gala organized by the Archdiocese of New York, at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York. (File)

LOS ANGELES - Comedian Stephen Colbert will be the next host of "The Late Show."

CBS said Thursday that the "Colbert Report" star will take over hosting duties for the long-running late-night talk franchise when David Letterman retires in 2015.